Highlights Of The Yukon

Depart the UK on your chosen scheduled flight to Whitehorse. Upon arrival, independently transfer to your hotel in downtown Whitehorse, where you can relax and enjoy your evening.

We have brought you into Whitehorse a day earlier than your tour commences, due to the late evening arrival of flights. This allows you a full day to go out and explore the city prior to meeting your travel guide, who will visit you at the hotel this evening to review the tour experience ahead of you.

On your first escorted day in Yukon, you will explore Whitehorse on a city tour. Among other sights, you will visit the historic paddle steamer ‘SS Klondike’ and Miles Canyon, a part of young Yukon River.

After learning some intriguing facts about Yukon, you will pay a visit to Yukon Wildlife Preserve, situated outside the city limits. The game reserve accommodates a wide selection of the North’s known animal species in a near-natural environment. During a hike, you can marvel at the animals, view them in their habitat and take photos. Apart from elks and deer, it is possible you may spot bison, thinhorn sheep, mountain goats, polar foxes, caribous, and many other species. If desired, you can book a bus tour to explore the wildlife preserve by bus.

To wrap up the day, you will have a relaxing time at Takhini Hot Springs, located close to the wildlife preserve. Don’t forget to bring a pair of trunks or swimming suit as well as a towel and something to drink (it is essential to stay hydrated as the hot water can make you very thirsty) with you for this wellness experience.

Today you will visit southern Yukon. On your scenic drive to the small settlement of Carcross, you will stop at multiple viewpoints. One of these viewpoints is Emerald Lake, one of the most beautiful lakes in Canada.

You’ll also walk in the Carcross Desert – the smallest desert in the world. In Carcross, you take a look at Carcross Commons, a small first nation styled village and view a variate of First Nations art. The afternoon is free for you to shop and explore Whitehorse.

Travelling on North Klondike Highway, you will leave Whitehorse for the capital of the Great Klondike gold rush – Dawson City. En route lie several small First Nations settlements and simply stunning landscapes. You will make a stop at the Five Finger Rapids, dreaded during the times of steamships and small boats. It took enormous courage for the crew of the large paddle steamers to overcome the rapids, both during the gold rush time and long after. If desired, you can take a walk to the observation post directly above the Five Finger Rapids, which will reward you with an excellent photo opportunity.

Next, you continue towards Dawson City, and again you must not take your eyes off the road to capture some beautiful photographic motifs of nature and wildlife at play along the highway.

As you arrive in Dawson City in the late afternoon, you will check into your hotel where you take some time to rest and prepare for an exciting evening. You will visit Diamond Tooth Gerties, a casino and historic establishment, featuring roulette, blackjack and other gambling opportunities, as well as a can-can dance show.

Today starts with a city tour through the historic town of Dawson City. Yukon’s former capital came to fame during the Great Klondike gold rush. Next, you head towards Bonanza Valley, the point of origin of the gold rush. Making your way past degraded and still active mines, you will stop at Dredge No. 4, a large gold excavating and rinsing apparatus, which was in operation up until the 1940’s. Here, you will learn about the dredge’s activities and how this wooden and metal giant was used to extract gold out of the ground. You will make another stop at the famed Discovery Claim, the spot where the Klondike’s first gold was found in Bonanza Creek on August 16, 1896.

In the afternoon, you journey westward, taking in the well-known ‘Top Of The World Highway’, which connects Dawson City and the Yukon to Alaska. This unique path, which only opens during the summer, is one of the world’s most stunning panoramic roads, offering colourful landscapes and spectacular mountain range views.

Later in the afternoon, you will be driving to the top of Midnight Dome, Dawson City’s famous local mountain. Midnight Dome offers a spectacular view over the town, as well as Klondike River, which flows into the larger Yukon River. The evening is at your leisure. For the very brave among you, there’s the Downtown Hotel and its legendary bar. For decades, this establishment has been offering the ‘Sourtoe Cocktail’ – a glass of whiskey with a human toe in it. You will receive an official certificate if your lips touch the toe while drinking.

The next part of your journey takes you into a paradisiac idyll. Tombstone Territorial Park, which is better known as Tombstone Mountains, offers a breathtakingly beautiful vista. You will ride southwards for 40 kilometres from Dawson until you turn into Dempster Highway and use a part of the 770 kilometre-long gravel road leading to the Polar Circle and the Arctic Ocean. You will call at Tombstone Territorial Park visitor centre, where you gather information about the park and the latest wild animal sightings. You may choose to take a small hike to take in the magnificent view and take some stunning photos.

Today you’re driving the North Klondike Highway back to Whitehorse. You will yet again come across picture-postcard scenery, flora and fauna, the Five Finger Rapids and beautiful views of the Yukon River and small settlements along the highway.

Arriving into Whitehorse late afternoon, you check into your hotel. This evening, you will share a lovely dinner, allowing time to review the journey, show off some of the many photos you’ve taken and share stories about an unforgettable experience.

This morning you will transfer independently to the airport for your flight back to the UK. Alternatively, you may choose to combine this tour with one focusing on another region of Yukon or extend your holiday elsewhere in Canada.